Charlotte: A Yellowstone Wolf Pup

Celia Straus  
Leschenault Press (2025)
ISBN: 978-1923454293

Celia Straus has written hundreds of shows for television and film throughout her career, and most recently, she is proud to have received an Emmy nomination for Kids Speak Out, a YouTube series created in partnership with the United Nations that features conversations with children worldwide about their lives. Her work has earned her Cine Golden Eagles and industrial film festival gold and silver awards, as she has served as a script-writer for numerous networks including Discovery, History Channel, and PBS.

For five years, from 2012 to 2017, Straus created and wrote the Emmy Award Winning Memorial Day Concert that was broadcast nationally on PBS. She also had the honor of creating and writing the Anti-Defamation League’s Concert Against Hate, which was performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for several years.

In addition to her television and film work, Straus has authored several books on different topics. Her poetry trilogy for middle school girls, including the national bestseller Prayers On My Pillow, was published by Ballantine Books in 1998. On military topics, she wrote Hidden Battles on Unseen Fronts: Stories of American Soldiers with PTSD and TBI, published by Casemate in 2009, and Pathfinder Pioneer: The Memoir of a WWII Bomber Pilot, published by Casemate in 2017.

Her passion for storytelling extends to children’s literature, and she has collaborated with various illustrators to create children’s picture books, such as the three BoBo and Iris books about an orphaned baby elephant in Kenya, Livy Little Honey Bee, and Sophie, the Monarch Butterfly, Mission to Mexico.

Straus currently resides in Washington, D.C. but travels frequently to see her two daughters and gorgeous grandchildren, who are the apple of her eye.

Hi Celia, welcome back to Reader Views! What is Charlotte: A Yellowstone Wolf Pup about and what was your inspiration behind the story?

Charlotte, a Yellowstone Wolf Pup is about a little pup living in the heart of Yellowstone National Park who prefers grasshoppers and romping through the grass to hunting with her pack. When danger threatens her family, most particularly, the Alpha Queen, her mother, she must rise to the occasion.I drew inspiration for Charlotte from my three year old granddaughter, Charlotte, a headstrong middle child, who learns from her two sisters and mother, how to balance being yourself and a member of the family.

Charlotte is a spirited little wolf pup with her own ideas about life. What drew you to give her such an independent personality?

I discover the personality of my main characters by researching the animal I intend to write about and matching certain of their traits with the personality of one of my grandchildren. In this case, 3 year old Charlotte is a somewhat headstrong, free spirited child, brave but also a bit stubborn. She must often be reminded by her mother, Julia, the “Alpha Queen” to cooperate and share with the rest of the family. Therefore, she seemed the perfect child to become the heroine of a story of a wolf pup who must learn the same lessons in the wild.

Charlotte doesn’t always follow her pack’s expectations, and she’s often more curious than cautious. What do you see in that contrast between her instincts and her mother’s rules?

 The Alpha Queen heads a pack of 13 wolves in the park. She has learned a lot about how to survive and fought many a battle in order to do so. Charlotte is oblivious to rules of the pack and, as a headstrong wolf pup has the instincts of a playful child. Sheltered in her den during her first spring in the park, she relies on her own instincts which are to play in the flowers and eat bugs and berries,

Charlotte learns to balance her independence with her loyalty to the pack. What did you want to explore in that tension between standing out and belonging?

For the majority of young children there comes a time when they are discovering who they are while at the same time learning to see how they fit within a family dynamic, either nuclear or extended, and, of course, eventually school. Part of growing up is learning how to best explore and learn about that tension between standing out and belonging. The end of Charlotte, when she uses her running skill to save her mother, is the one message of reward as Charlotte finds her own personal balance and puts it to good use.

The theme of individuality really shines through. What do you hope children take away about being true to themselves?

All my books stress the theme of individuality and belief in yourself. One of my first books, Livy Little Honey Bee, dedicated to another granddaughter, posed the story of how a little brown and orange honey bee wanted to be rainbow-colored instead. This seventh book explores another little child, in this case a wolf pup, who must fight to be herself and survive the rigors of living wild in Yellowstone. A different set of challenges but the same core determination. I hope children learn to be true to themselves against all odds, and even with compromise,s find a way to nourish what makes them special.

Your dedication connects individuality with generosity and love. Why was that important for you to highlight alongside Charlotte’s story?

Because individuality and strength to be yourself, in my opinion, includes a generosity of spirit and ability to love those around you. It takes a strength of character and courage to be generous to others.

One of the more powerful moments is when Charlotte has to step up and help her mother against danger. What do you hope children notice in that turning point?

I surprised myself with the way the end turned out.  I wasn’t sure how to have Charlotte help save her mother, but by being so fast that she could run back and get the rest of the pack and then run back to the rescue highlighted her speed. I hope children see that you can always do something in an emergency, even if it is to get help. What Charlotte did was appropriate for her age and skill set and of course she also obeyed the Alpha Queen, her mother.

Charlotte learns bravery in her own time and her own way, and the book also weaves in lessons about nature and family. How did you balance showing her growth with making sure the story still felt engaging for young readers?

By beginning the story with spring in Yellowstone Park and young wolf pups tumbling out of their den and then taking the story into the winter as the pups grow and learn how to hunt, I hoped to weave the story of nature in the park through the seasons with a growing family. I was so lucky to have Maria illustrating the story because her pictures really supported the lessons about nature and growing pups. Maria actually made a trip to Yellowstone last summer to sketch the scenery for this book.  The illustrations engage the readers as much if not more so than the words. Maria made Charlotte adorable.

Charlotte steps into leadership in a surprising way. How do you see her growth as a leader in this story, and what kind of leader might she become as she grows older?

Charlotte grudgingly joins the pack and at one points sulks behind, being the opposite of a leader. But when the odds are against her mother, she literally springs into action, and leads the entire pack back to where the Alpha Queen is being attacked by an enemy pack She becomes a leader out of necessity but we can see as can her mother, that it is in her blood.

The Alpha Queen is such a strong maternal character. Did you draw on any personal influences when creating her?

I read several brilliant books about Yellowstone Wolves by Rick McIntyre, most particularly “The Alpha Female Wolf, The Fierce Legacy of Yellowstone’s 06”  Then I added to the character, the maternal and leadership skills of my oldest daughter, Julia, who is Charlotte’s mother. Julia has started and sold two companies and is about to launch a third around skin care for teens besides being the mother of three girls under 8, violinist, painter and just an amazing multi-talented person. So it wasn’t difficult to find my Alpha Queen.

You dedicate the book to your granddaughter Charlotte. What has her reaction been to seeing her name (and a wolf pup with her traits) in print?

 Please see the video I sent you of her talking about how proud and  thrilled she was. She can’t believe she is holding a book with her name on the cover. 

The story has a lyrical, rhyming flow to it. What guided your decision on the rhythm and style of the language?

 I love writing these children’s books in poetry although it is sometimes challenging to find the right word or syllable to tell the story.  I believe that poetry gives an energy to the story and prose cannot bring to the plot.  I wrote three books about an orphaned elephant named BoBo, and, while they are sweet, I don’t find them as fun to read as these later ones.

The story’s rhythm makes it fun to read out loud. What do you hope families experience when sharing it together?

 I hope they get caught up in the energy and the words of poetry read out loud as we all do. I am a great believer in reading out loud to children and poetry can be so much fun.  Think of Dr. Seuss or all the poems by A.A. Milne. There have been so many excellent and recent books as well, all poetry, for children.

Maria Hahne’s illustrations are warm and playful. What was it like collaborating with her, and how did the art and words shape each other in the process?

 I always give my illustrators the entire first draft before they agree to work on a project with me so they see the whole picture.  Maria was just a joy to work with.  She said she loved drawing dogs so I knew we would get along well on Charlotte. As I said before, she made a trip to Yellowstone to get a sense of the landscape. This book took a long time, but  illustrations are complicated and tough to get right. Maria sent me black and white sketches before doing anything in color. And if we ran into a problem, nine times out of ten it was easier to fix the word than to redraw something, especially if she came up with great ideas. Her depiction of the wolf pack fight is just amazing.

The coloring pages at the end are such a thoughtful touch. What led you to add them, and how do you hope children interact with that part of the book?

 That was a new idea. I asked Maria to replicate a few of her drawings in outline form to use up what were a bunch of extra blank sheets at the end of the book. I sure hope our young readers color the pages.  Drawing in your books is often considered such a “no no” I thought this would be fun.

Your portrayal of the wolf pack feels authentic, yet accessible for young readers. What kind of research went into depicting Yellowstone wolves in a realistic but age-appropriate way?

 I read a number of books on Yellowstone Wolves which have been studied for decades. The most prolific author is Rick McIntyne who has spent most of his life studying photographing and writing about wolf packs in the park. I was so very luck to have a lot of resources to use, not to mention all the books on the park itself. I also read some nonfiction books on wolves for young children which helped me understand how much I could write about their habitat and pack behavior. And, again, Maria’s drawings helped immensely.

Yellowstone plays such a vivid role in the book. What does this setting bring to Charlotte’s story?

Yellowstone National Park is one of our nation’s most famous if not the most famous national park. The setting teaches us about the park, the different seasons in the park,, the wild animals living there and the entire chain of nature.  I am originally from Utah and used to visit Yellowstone all the time with my family as a child. It was such a perfect landscape for a story about a wolf pack.  And, I am hoping folks will find Charlotte in Yellowstone book shops next season.

This isn’t a “sugar-coated” animal tale—wolves do hunt, and you include that reality gently and truthfully. What made you decide to include this aspect of nature?

I wanted to keep the story real and true without being grisly or violent for young readers. I had to balance the fact that wolves are carnivores with telling a bedtime story for children.  The way the Alpha Queen comes upon the dead carcass of a moose is a good example of the balance of nature alive all around Charlotte’s story.  Remember in the beginning when the Alpha Queen says, stay in your den, there is a mother Grizzly bear roaming for food. Same thing. Putting it in the story but not in great detail. Hopefully parents and their children can talk about this.

Part of the proceeds go toward wolf conservation. Along with that, what do you hope children learn about wolves and the natural world from this book? 

I hope they learn enough to want to learn more. Of course learning a bit about how a wolf pack works and how Yellowstone National Park is home the the famous Yellowstone wolves is part of the conservation story but also it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I hope Charlotte inspires readers to learn more about the closest relative to dogs….wolves.

Charlotte’s journey could easily expand into more adventures. Do you see her story continuing in future books? 

I would love to have a Charlotte book two, perhaps telling of her own journey to be an Alpha Queen.

Children often fall in love with animal characters. What do you hope young readers will remember most about Charlotte after they close the book? 

That Charlotte was a high spirited joyful and independent little pup who learned how to be one of a wolf pack family in order to survive the challenges of being a wolf in the wilds of Yellowstone.  And that she came around to, not only being one of the pack, but using her own distinctive skills to save her mother, the great Alpha Queen.

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